Testimonies

I saw a comment recently that said “To the degree that we see HIM with the eyes of our hearts, we will worship.” WOW!

I really could not agree more and I couldn’t have said it better. That statement just kind of settled in my bones as I began to explore the weight of it.

This year has been a big one for my family. My husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Our home was foreclosed. My son’s house suffered a fire, displacing him and his pregnant wife for several months. My teenage daughter became severely ill, and I had a recurrence of Bell’s Palsy. Just typing all that makes me smile.

It is not easy being thankful. We live in a thankless generation. I make an effort to teach my grandsons to say thank you. It just isn’t normal. There is nothing like a two year old saying “tenku gramma,” hoping the concept will stick when he eventually understands what it means. Please and thank you were good habits to learn.

However, true thanksgiving can only happen with an encounter with God. The miracle of transformation in hearts and minds is something to shout thanksgiving for. But what if the transformation hasn’t happened yet? What if you have been waiting to see that fulfilled promise and hope deferred for several years? How do you be thankful then? Let’s not pretend. We all have heard the words, spoken by Graham and many other great leaders and prophets, to be thankful before the outcome, to be present future in our minds and hearts, as a declaration of the reality. I so get that in my head, but I have refused to shout thank you when I don’t mean it. And there is the rub.

My refusal just sets me up for misjudging and mistrusting God. The truth is I don’t have to feel it, I have to believe it. The importance of gratitude and thanksgiving are all over the Bible. Sacrifice of praise is a form of thanksgiving. Just what is that exactly? It is praising when you just don’t feel like it. Not. One. Bit. But you KNOW a God who is bigger, and you realize how truly small you are in your need to see before being thankful. Continue reading →

“It’s 5:00am and God says your going to another level!!
Do not focus on things in the natural as He will often use those as means to get you there. Stay focused on spiritual things. Stay tuned into God as He is speaking to you and teaching you. Great things are about to come! God will take what the enemy meant for bad and turn it to good. Favor is in store for you. Faith is the key.”

Little did I know this prophecy was going to kick off a journey with God I will never forget. In August I was diagnosed with Uterine Papillary Serous Carcinoma. A rare form of uterine cancer that is aggressive and highly recurring.

It was at this time God led me to Graham Cooke. I was perusing iTunes looking for some new music and I see “Rise up a Warrior.” I thought…I’m a warrior! In this series God told me what this season is all about and how I needed to respond. He was preparing me for my calling. God talked to me in many ways through this journey, almost on a daily basis. But when He sat on the side of my bed and looked me in the eyes and spoke to me…Lori…it was through Graham’s teachings. Continue reading →

The Warrior Class is Graham Cooke’s official intercessory prayer team and a developmental training community. Together The Warrior Class isa focused, joyful group of intercessors who are constantly looking to explore new areas of the Kingdom. This article was contributed by new Warrior Class member Anysia Derora

My life has already been transformed in ways that are amazing to me in the 11 days since I’ve joined The Warrior Class and I thought I’d share one experience.

I’ve been reading past Training Journals as I prepare to begin the New Member process because I wanted to explore the journey of The Warrior Class up to this point. As I was reading one of the issues last night I saw this image of a vast piece of ground with X’s everywhere. Some had little flags beside them, many did not. I knew immediately that the X’s were the promises that God had placed in my life over the years and I asked Him about the flags.

He showed me that the flags indicated the promises that I had staked my claim on, acknowledge were there but never excavated. In a few places there was some digging, but it was shallow and He showed me that those were places that I had actually begun to excavate and had walked away from when I came upon something that didn’t align with my beliefs at that time or that I thought I would be condemned for even exploring. Continue reading →